Blues Of Desperation

2016 release from blues/rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa. Blues Of Desperation is Bonamassa's most powerfully diverse and boldly realized album yet, with the material ranging from the gutsy, gritty blues call to arms of 'This Train' (Joe's guitar is set to rude throughout) to the elegant yet emotionally shattering ballad 'What I've Known for a Very Long Time' to the soul-nourishing, acoustic-based Americana of 'The Valley Runs Low', on which Bonamassa's voice rises up majestically to meet Barnes, McRae and Tippins in gospel-like rapture. And then there's the bleary, tequila-soaked 'Drive', dripping with the kind of raw, wicked and unsettling sensuality that could make David Lynch green with envy. Throughout the record, Bonamassa's epic guitar playing conjures up stirring benedictions and explosive exorcisms of sound. Guitar fans everywhere (like those who recently voted Bonamassa Best Blues Guitarist in Guitar World magazine by an overwhelming margin) will consider Blues Of Desperation a treasure trove of axe riches.